Elevance’s Louisiana Purchase Could Portend More Blue Cross Blue Shield Consolidation

Elevance Health, Inc. on Jan. 23 announced a deal to acquire Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, breaking what one analyst called a nearly two-decade “ice age” in which no major consolidation among Blues took place. Experts say it’s unclear whether the tie-up is a harbinger of a flurry of similar dealmaking, but they suggest that the time may be right to see additional mergers and acquisitions (M&A) among Blues affiliates.

“It has been a long drought” since Blues plans conducted major M&A, observes Ashraf Shehata, national sector lead for health care and life sciences at KPMG. And during that time, the country’s largest health plans have gotten larger and more diversified. “So I think…it’s probably time for the industry, especially on the Blue side, to consolidate a bit more,” Shehata tells AIS Health, a division of MMIT.

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